AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Umpire Rob Drake.
- Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into longtime umpire Rob Drake over tweets he posted on Tuesday night.
- The investigations was launched after ESPN obtained copies of now-deleted tweets from Drake, in which he threatened to buy an AR-15 rifle for a "civil war" if President Donald Trump was impeached.
- Drake, who made his MLB debut in 1999 and has been a full time major league umpire since 2010, deactivated his Twitter account on Wednesday.
- MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN he was looking into the tweet. MLB said in a statement to USA Today that it was investigating.
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Major League Baseball has launched an investigation into a longtime umpire tweeted that he would buy an AR-15 rifle for a "civil war" if President Donald Trump was impeached, according to USA Today.
The investigations was launched after ESPN obtained copies of tweets from 50-year-old Rob Drake that were deleted shortly after being posted on Tuesday night.
One tweet said: "I will be buying an AR-15 tomorrow, because if you impeach MY PRESIDENT this way, YOU WILL HAVE ANOTHER CIVAL (sic) WAR!!! #MAGA2020."
A second tweet read: "You can't do an impeachment inquiry from the basement of Capital Hill without even a vote! What is going on in this country?"
Drake, who made his MLB debut in 1999 and has been a full time major league umpire since 2010, deactivated his Twitter account on Wednesday.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he was looking into the tweet. MLB said in a statement to USA Today that it was investigating.
Before Drake deleted his Twitter account, USA Today found a post featuring right-wing conspiracy theories about Benghazi, a post calling Hillary Clinton a "f------ liar," and false "birther" theories about Former President Barack Obama being born in another country.
The Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA) said in a statement to ESPN that Drake chose the "wrong way" to express his feelings.
"Rob is a passionate individual and an outstanding umpire. He chose the wrong way to convey his opinion about our great country," MLBUA said. "His posting does not represent the view of the MLBUA or reflect those of the umpires we represent."
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